COMPARISON OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PATTERNS IN TRADITIONAL AND INDOOR PLAY IN 6-10 YEAR OLDS 241

Abstract

Low physical activity levels have been implicated as a cause of the rising incidence of obesity in children. Thus, it is desirable to have physical activity programs which promote and encourage active play. A new alternative that has become available are indoor play centers that, by virtue of design, seem to promote high activity. The aim of this study was to compare physical activity levels between a traditional outdoor playground setting and the indoor play centers. 20 children, 10 male and 10 female, 6-10 years old completed 2 half-hour play sessions each at Discovery Zone (DZ1 & DZ2), and at a comparable traditional playground (P1 & P2). The Tritrac-R3D was used during each session to assess physical activity, expressed via vector magnitude (counts/session). Results ([horizontal bar over]X +/- SD) are as follows: Table Results indicate that significant differences in activity counts between sessions at Discovery Zone and the playground existed. Thus, the indoor play centers promote increased levels of physical activity while providing a positive alternative to traditional play.